Nome celebrates summer solstice

By Sarah Manriquez

From costumed heists to icy plunges and paddle-powered raft races, Nome celebrated the summer solstice in style during the annual Midnight Sun Festival, held over the weekend. The festival drew crowds of locals and visitors alike, eager to participate in time-honored traditions under the nearly endless daylight of the Arctic summer.

Gold Dust Dash
Saturday morning kicked off the festivities with the Gold Dust Dash, a 5K race along the shoreline of the Bering Sea. At 9 a.m., an air horn signaled the start of the race as sixteen runners took off down the sand, cheered on by supporters. Participants ranged in age, with the youngest runner just 9-years-old.
Nomeite Wilson Hoogendorn claimed first place overall, crossing the finish line in 24 minutes and 39 seconds. Elizabeth Korenek-Johnson was the first female finisher at 28 minutes and 15 seconds. Both walked away with gold prizes—tiny flake-filled vials this year—sponsored by Norton Sound Health Corporation’s CAMP Department.
“The hardest part of this run is not stopping to pick up all the sea glass,” Korenek-Johnson said at the finish line.
The Gold Dust Dash was supported by a community wellness grant, which also covers race-day incentives for participants like Rec Center passes, bento boxes, AeroGardens, veggie bucks and CAMP swag.
“The price of gold has significantly increased, making it challenging to acquire the larger gold nuggets we’d ideally use for the Gold Dust Dash within our budget,” said Nicole Santonastaso, race organizer and Prevention Program Supervisor at CAMP. The price of gold is currently near $3,335 per ounce. “We’re actively seeking community partners to help us source the right size gold, ensuring we can keep this tradition vibrant for years to come.”

Parade
This year’s parade, themed “Walking on sunshine,” brought a colorful procession of floats, ATVs, firetrucks and costumed participants down Front Street. Community groups, families, and local businesses brought flair, music, and candy to the midday celebration, with kids waving from curbs and elders watching from folding chairs outside Nome’s beloved gathering spots.

Bank Robbery
Spectators packed the bleachers in front of Wells Fargo for the bank robbery reenactment, a solstice tradition staged by the Nome Regulators and Society for Historic Reenactment. With theatrical swagger, at exactly high noon, outlaws in period dress made their dramatic descent down Front Street, guns drawn, staging a mock heist straight out of Nome’s gold rush past. The robbers are always thwarted—usually by a heroic “Wyatt Earp” character—and candy-laden loot bags fly into awaiting hands, delighting children.
The performance almost didn’t happen this year due to a shortage of volunteers, but a last-minute crew rallied, donning costumes and reviving the tradition.
There were plenty of new faces on Front Street, including first-time participant Tim Lowe, who played the second-in-command bad guy “Rubber Legs.” He arrived fully prepared—with his own costume and prop weapon—embracing his villainous role with crowd-pleasing enthusiasm. His theater background and bad-guy swagger brought a burst of energy to the showdown.
And we can’t forget Duc Ta and his hilarious portrayal of a poncho–wearing outlaw, taunting the crowd and good-guy deputies with, “You want to see a little Kung Fu?” Ta, who grew up in Nome and graduated from Nome-Beltz High School in 1979, returned from Sherman Oaks, California for a small family reunion and ended up winning over the crowd with his comic timing and charm.
Polar Bear Plunge
Later in the afternoon, shrieks and laughter echoed across the Bering Sea shoreline as dozens of participants raced into the icy surf for Nome’s annual Polar Bear Plunge, hosted by the Nome Rotary Club. The water hovered above freezing with a stiff breeze, making the plunge feel even more bracing. Spectators lined the shore, cheering as plungers sprinted into the shallows and made a quick U-turn back to dry land, many cozying up for warmth by the massive bonfire blazing nearby on the beach.
Though the entire dip lasts mere seconds for most, those who completed the plunge earned an official certificate of achievement and plenty of bragging rights.

Raft Race
Sunday brought the final marquee event of the Midnight Sun Festival: the annual raft race. Teams gathered at Mile 13 along Kougarok Road to launch homemade vessels into the Nome River, cheered on by spectators lining the bridge further downstream. Though past years have drawn as many as 20 rafts, organizers wondered if this year’s cooler temperatures and overcast skies may have discouraged some, as only two teams entered the race.
Team Gold Digger, a team of five, took first place, completing the course in 2 hours and 58 minutes. Their strategy? Relentless teamwork and a system they jokingly dubbed “worshipping the raft” where someone was always behind it, pushing. The team consisted of Orson Hoogendorn, Cole Gorn, Richard Cross, Joe Martinson and Son Erikson. Their vessel briefly wiped out mid-race after hitting a bank and getting swept by an overhanging tree, tossing the entire team into the water.
Team Spike followed with a time of 3 hours and 8 minutes, cobbling together makeshift oars from sticks and branches on shore at the start of the race as only one member of their team brought a paddle. Their journey was a true odyssey—lighthearted at first, complete with bubble-blowing and cheering, but quickly turned harrowing when their raft struck the same tree that wiped out the Gold Diggers, causing Team Spike to capsize.
As raft teams posed with trophies and then exchanged battle stories from their river adventure around the fire, and fans and families basked in the highlights from the weekend, a spirit of community pride lingered in the air. From athletic feats to theatrical flair, the Midnight Sun Festival once again proved that Nome knows how to make the most of a weekend when the sun is up for 21 hours and 28 minutes.